Head spacing apparatus for container closing machines



w. c. FROMER 2,441,502 HEAD SPACING APPARATUS FOR CONTAINER CLOSING MACHINES uly s, 14.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 17, 1946 July 6, 1948. w. c. FROMER 2,444,502 Q HEAD SPACING APPARATUS FOR CONTAINER CLOSING MACHINES Filed June 17, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 6, 1948 HEAD SPAOING APPARATUS FOR CON TAINER CLOSING MACHINES Walter C. Framer, Philadelphia, Pa, assignor to Crown Can Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 17, 1946, Serial No. 677,179 '7 Claims. (Cl. 226-7l) The present invention relates to plunger pad 5 is fixed to the lower end of a. rod H which is apparatus for container closing machines and, vertically reciprocable in the turret 6, A lower more particularly, to a plunger pad apparatus table 12 (Figure 2) has a star wheel l3 rotatable to compact articles in cans and cut off the porabove it on shaft 5 to hold the cans in aligntions of articles which hang outside the top 5 ment with the plunger pads as disclosed in John edge of acan. A. Woerz patent, No. 2,350,438, issued June 6,

In the packaging of such products as foods in 1944.

cans it is usual to move a plunger pad into the The central element of each pad 5 comprises open mouth of the filled can to insure that the a cup-shaped device l4 including a bottom wall contents will be forced below the top edge of the 1 l5 and an upstanding annular edge wall It. An can before a top or can end'is applied by the upwardly projecting central hollow boss I! forms seaming mechanism. In the handling of proda socket to receive the lower end of the supportucts such as string beans, asparagus, greens or ing rod H. An annular flange l8 depends from other similar products, the action of the abovethe periphery of the element I l, the outer lower mentioned plunger pad may leave some of the aredge of this flange being rounded as indicated at ticles hanging over the edge of the can. When H). An outwardly projecting shoulder 22] exarticles are left in this position, it is not possible tends about the outer surface of the edge wall It to firmly apply a can end. As a result, the can and the peripheral wall 2! proVided beneath this may leak so that spoilage results. shoulder and extending downwardly to the An object of the invention is to provide a means rounded edge I9 is of gradually reducing diamto cut off the portions of articles which hang eter toward its lower end. The diameter of the outside the edge of a container. wall 2| immediately below shoulder 20 closely Another object of the invention is to provide corresponds to the inside diameter of the top end a plunger pad including severing means, the eleof a. can C as indicated in Figure 2.

ments being of such design that they will cooper- The lower wall l5 of each pad It! is provided ate to force the bulk of the articles down into with a plurality of apertures 22 to permit any liqthe can and will sever such articles as may hang uid displaced from a can 0 to move upwardly into or extend over the top edge of the can. the cup-shaped element M. The hollow boss A further object of the invention is to provide I1 may also be provided with an aperture 23 a mounting for the plunger pads which will enthrough which liquid flowing up into the boss able them to be readily and automatical y opermay reach the exterior of the boss The fact ated, preferably with the cans in continuous mothat element I4 includes the upstanding edge tion. wall I 6 will prevent any displaced liquid from Other objects and advantages of the invention being spilled upon the container supporting table will be apparent from the following specifica- I2. tion and attached drawing wherein: A ring-like element 25 is secured to the upper Figure 1 is a top plan view of the invention, edge of the central element M by means of screws Figure2isacentral axial section, and or the like, the element 25 having an outside Figure 3 is a generally diagrammatic plan view diameter somewhat greater than the outside dishowing the structure for supporting and operameter of central element I l.

ating the severing means of the plunger pads. An annular and sleeve-like cutting element 25 Referring first to Figure 3, the apparatus of surrounds and is rotatable about element M. As the present invention comprises a plurality of best shown in Figure 2, in radial cross section plunger pads 5 supported on a turret 6 continuthe cutting element 26 is recessed on its inner ously rotatable with a shaft 7. Filled cans C surface so that it will be supported upon the are delivered to the apparatus and the plunger radial shoulder 2d of central element Hi. Cutpads descend into engagement with the cans as ting element 26 also includes a lower skirt-like shown in Figure 2. As each plunger pad 5 and portion 2i having its inner wall 23 inclined outits associated can C move in the orbital path dewardly and downwardly. The upperinner edge fined by th rotary t t, th hereinafter d of the inner wall 28 is directly opposite and closescribed severing means of the pad will be roly contacts with the lower outer edge of the tated to cut off the portions of vegetables or simshoulder 25 of the non-rotatable central eleilar products which hang over the edge of the ment M. As is shown in Figure 2, the shoulder can. 20 is of such outside diameter that it will fully Referring to Figures 1 and 2, each plunger pad cover the usual top seam flange of a can 0 with which the device is to be used and the extreme upper portion of the skirt wall 28 will be directly opposite the outer edge of the can flange when the device is in can-engaging position.

The cutting element 26 has an outwardly extending lug 39 secured to one side thereof and a second lug 3! is secured to element 25 at a point diametrically opposite lug 38. Each lug has an upstanding pin 32 secured thereto and a normally contracted coil spring 33 extends from each pin to a corresponding pin 34 fixed to the top of the ring 25. A stop lug 35 is secured to the side face of the ring member 25 in the path of the lug 3i and the springs 33 tend to pull the an nular cutting device 26 in a clock-wise direction as viewed in Figure l to thereby normally hold lug 3| in contact with the stop lug 35.

A radial trip arm 38 is formed integrally with the lug 30 of each cutting or severing element 26' to enable the latter to be rotated about its central element M in a counterclock-wise direction; for example, to'a position somewhat beyond that indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1. When the arm 36 is released, the springs 33 will return the cutting element 26 to itsnormal position. Inorder to prevent the springs 33 from extending over the pocket in the central element l4 and thereby being splashed by displaced liquid from a can, arcuate upstanding shoulders 30 are formed on the inner edge of the ring 25.

The cutting device of the present invention may be automatically operated in connection with a container closing machine, for example, of the type disclosed in said John A. Woerz patent. In such use, the apparatus of the present invention would be positioned immediately in advance of the can top applying means.

Referring to Figure 3, the filled cans will be delivered beneath the present apparatus by aninfeed dial 45 in the direction indicated by the arrow associated therewith. Each can will enter a pocket of starwheel l3 rotating with the shaft T so that the can will be vertically aligned with a plunger pad 5. As the shaft l rotates, the plunger pads will descend to the position indicated in Figure 2 by the action or a cam track cooperating with the rods l i, as described in said Woerz patent.

Continued rotation of turret G will move the plunger pad under discussion adjacent a trip 42 fixed to the base of the machine so that the plunger pad arm 35 will contact with the trip.

Contact of trip 42 with a trip arm 35 will cause the severing sleeve 26 to be rotated in a clockwise direction about the axis of a pad 5 as indicated by the dotted line ShOWlng 5A of Figure 3. However, as a plunger pad 5 continues to move bodily past the fixed trip 42,, its triparm 36 eventually will be swung soiar rearwardly as to clear the trip 42. Then the springs 33 will snap the severing element 26 to the normal position indicated in solid lines in Figure 1.

During further rotation of the turret 6, the plunger pad 5 will lift clear of the can C and the can will then be moved by a conveyor 0.6 to a top-applying means such as disclosed in the above-mentioned Woerz patent. In accordance with the usual practice, the top will thereafter be seamed upon the can.

Referring in more each plunger pad 5, when the rod ll of each pad is moved downwardly toward a can positioned beneath the pad, the central element [4 of the pad will move into the top of the can, as. shown in Figure 2. The contents of the can will theredetail to the operation of by be forced downwardly in the can. Because the upper portion of outer surface 2| of the central element it closely corresponds to the proper inner diamter of the can, the can will not be distorted by the downward pressure exerted thereon. This downward pressure serves to hold the can against rotation with the severingsl'ee've 26'.

Although cans products usually filled with vegetables or similar contain brine or other liquid and are well filled, there are always small air pockets within the contents which permit the latter to be more thoroughly compacted without danger-of being crushed.

While" thedownward movement into a can of apadtwill force contents such as string-beans, asparagus, greens, etc. downwardly into the can, nevertheless, if any such articles happen to overhang the top edge of the can, they may remain in the overhanging position when a pad not equipped withacutting device moves down into the can. Also, when a non-cutting pad. rises, the articles will-be left hanging over the of the can.

The difficulties-just described as resulting from the use of the ordinary or non-cutting plunger pad are eliminated in the present device by the provision ofth'e cutting sleeve In more detail, when the plunger pad has reached the lowermost positionillustrated Figure 2, the cutting sieeve- 2'6 will b'e'ro'tate'd in a clock-wise direction as described above sotha't the upper portion of its innerwall'fili will move opposite and in brushin 'g-co'ritact wi'th the outer edge of the top flange ofthecan. Whenthe cutting device is released andretumed'by theaotion of the springs 33, the movement of sleeve 26' along the edge of the can flangewill'hereversed. As a result of these movements; the portio'rroi any article hanging over the edge of the can will be severed and fall away from the can. Th'eportion of the overhanging article within the can will then drop into the interior of the can.

nshasteen stated above, any liquid displaced from the can will move upwardly through the holes 22 andinto the cup-shaped central element Hi Fecause' this 'elemen substantial depth, the-displaced liquid cannot overflow its side ed es. Therefore, when the device again moves out of thecan, the liquid will simply move back into the can throughthe holes 22.

The terminology used in the specification is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, the scope of the invention being indicated in the claims.

1. In combination, supporting means for a filled and open-topped container, and means to engage the. containerc'ontents to force them downwardly into the container and to rotate with respect to the container to cutoff any contents which overhang'the container edge.

'2. Incombination, supporting for filled and-open topped containers, pad means adapted to engage the top of the container contents and cutting'means extending about and movable upon the peripheryofthe pad means to cooperate with the edgeof the container to cut oii contents which overhang the container edge.

3. In combination, supporting means for filled and open-topped containers, pad means adapted w engagetnerop'orthe container contents, cutting means-extending about and movable upon the periphery of the pad means to cooperate with the-edgeof-the'containerto cut ofi any contents which overhang the container edge, and means to move the cutting means about said pad.

4. In combination, pad means to engage the top of the contents of a top-flanged container with the edge of the top flange of the container to thereby sever articles overhanging such flange, and resilient means to move said cutting device in one direction.

5. In combination, a central pad element including a laterally extending shoulder adapted to bear upon the top flange of a can, a sleeve element respect to a container.

7. In combination, means to move a filled and open-topped container along a predetermined path, means moving with said first-named means to engage the top of the container, cutting means carried by and rotatable with respect to said lastnamed means to cut oif any contents which over- WALTER C. FROMER. 

